BLACKMAN TOWNSHIP, MI – Marino's Pizza & More started off as a small shop on Parnall Road that only had six dining tables and limited space for employees to move to and from the kitchen.

Twenty-five years later, the locally-owned chain now has four locations throughout the Jackson area and has a combined seating capacity of more than 300.

One reason for the business’ growth is that it doesn’t skimp on good quality ingredients for its customers, said co-owner Mary Nichols.

“We don’t buy the cheaper of anything,” said Nichols, who owns Marino’s Pizza & More with husband Kurt. “That’s always been our mainstay. You can buy a cheap pizza anywhere.”

Several locations have opened and closed over the years to eventually be consolidated into four locations, but Marino’s Pizza & More has remained a family-owned and family-oriented business, Nichols said.

“We’re here every day,” Nichols said. “We have a small group of people that have been with me for years. You have to have good people and you have to be there every day.”

Mary and Kurt Nichols opened their first Marino’s Pizza on Jan. 11, 1988 at 1513 Parnall Road.

“We did a lot of business with the prison and with Consumers,” Mary Nichols said. “He did pizza, and I did catering. We learned a lot with that first store.”

Because the restaurant is locally owned, it does not have the same backing as a national franchise when it comes to advertising. Marino’s Pizza does much of its advertising through its website and Facebook page, Nichols said.

Marino’s Pizza & More also strives to keep up on the latest food trends and update items on the menu to give people variety, Nichols said.

“Every year, we try to bring in a new salad or new sub,” she said.

The Coney Dog pizza is one of the restaurant’s more off-the-wall pizzas, and the spicy buffalo ranch pizza is very popular right now, Nichols said. The restaurant also has Chicago-style pizza and offers homemade specials like Swiss steak, golumpki, and Sloppy Joes.

Even with the rise of operational costs, the restaurant has kept its food prices reasonable, Nichols said.

“We try to make it family-friendly,” Nichols said. “The idea is to keep the cost down so they can come in and enjoy themselves,” Nichols said.